Moving?

Moving

In order to close on your property, you will need to take care of the following:

Sump Pump Certificate

This Certificate shows that your sump pump and bubbler are in compliance with Village law. Before the certificate can be issued, both the plumbing and electrical inspector will need to inspect your system to determine if it is in compliance. Many times, more than one inspection will be needed before the certificate can be issued, so it is recommended that inspections are scheduled as soon as there is a Contract for Sale for your property.

To schedule your inspections, please call the Building Department at (716) 873-5700.

Because the inspectors will need access to your basement, the Seller (not the attorney) needs to schedule the inspections and will obtain the certificate.

There is a $75 fee to obtain your Sump pump certificate and it is valid for 2 years.

Waivers can be obtained if you are unable to complete inspections prior to closing. In order to obtain a waiver, you must bring in a check, payable to the “Village of Kenmore” for $1500 for residential properties with less than 5 units; $5,000 Commercial properties with less than 5 units; and $10,000 for any building, residential or commercial, with five or more units*. This is paid by the Purchaser.

Waivers are valid for 60 days, and can be renewed subject to the consent of the Building Inspector and Clerk/Treasurer. The deposited funds are returned if a Certificate of Compliance is obtained within 30 days from when the waiver is issued.

* Fees may change from time to time. Please call the Building Department to verify current fee information.

Tax Certificate and Village Tax Receipt

A tax certificate is required for the sale of any property located in a village in Erie County. This certificate details outstanding violations, taxes, mortgages held by the Village through Community Development, as well as water account information. Certificates are accurate only as of the date of issue. It is possible that additional liens/violations may be applied to the property after the date of issue and before closing.

Also, please note that water information is accurate only up to the date of the last meter read. In most cases, this is an outside meter read. All close-outs of water meter accounts require an INTERIOR meter read. Since there can be variance between the outside and interior meter read (due to the weather exposure of the exterior meter), the interior read will determine the final bill.

The Tax Certificate is usually obtained by the Seller’s Attorney. The cost is $20 (Plus $1 for a copy of the Village Tax Receipt). Checks should be made payable to “Village of Kenmore”. Please send your check and request to the Clerk/Treasurer’s Office.

County and School Tax Receipts

These tax receipts are obtained through the Town of Tonawanda Clerk’s Office and are usually requested by the Seller’s Attorney.

Water Accounts

If you’re moving out of Kenmore, you will need to call the Water Department to arrange for a final read of your Water Meter and to close out your account. Please note that we cannot finalize the close out of your account until the new owner comes in to open his/her water account.

Also note that, we require INTERIOR read of the water meter in order to close out the account.

Community Development Loans

If you are a recipient of a Community Development Loan, please note that these loans must be paid off with any transfer of the property, including transfers between family members. A Satisfaction of Mortgage will be prepared upon receipt of the payoff check. This check should be made payable to the “Village of Kenmore”